Addressing the plasticizer restriction order for children's products is imminent

Release Date: 2014-05-12

Exports of children's products require greater attention to new regulations on plasticizers. Hong Kong stipulated in February that from July 1, 2014, restrictions will be imposed on the concentration of two types of plasticizers in different types of toys or children's products, which are basically consistent with the existing requirements of developed countries. The U.S. Congress recently introduced Bill S 2120 (the "Act to Extend the Prohibition on the Manufacture, Distribution, and Import of Children's Products Containing Phthalates (collectively referred to as plasticizers)") to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, proposing to expand the scope of products covered by the old version of the phthalate restriction order from children's toys and childcare articles to all children's products. The above regulations will have a broader impact on the export of our toys, clothing, and other children's products and childcare articles.

In daily life, ordinary people come into contact with phthalates through various consumer products such as detergents, air fresheners, perfumes, nail polish, and lubricants. They can also be frequently encountered in items such as plastic bags and plastic containers. As children, on the one hand, their ability to resist toxic and harmful substances is weaker, and on the other hand, they are in long-term contact with plastic products such as toys and childcare articles, which can easily pose risks through direct skin contact, licking, and chewing, endangering their development and growth. To this end, the European Union, the United States, and other developed countries have successively introduced relevant regulations to restrict excessive phthalates in children's toys and childcare products. China has also formulated limit standards for 6 types of phthalates in toys, which are basically consistent with those in the European Union and the United States.

Children's products and toys have become export favorites in recent years. Taking toys as an example, from January to March 2014, Ningbo region exported 7,395 batches of toys, worth 125 million U.S. dollars, a substantial year-on-year increase of 63% and 40% respectively. Among them, exports to the United States were 36.19 million U.S. dollars, accounting for 28.94%; exports to the European Union were 41.90 million U.S. dollars, accounting for 33.64%; and exports to Hong Kong were 2.36 million U.S. dollars, accounting for 1.89%. However, while exports have increased significantly, enterprises still have many deficiencies in production or testing. In the first quarter of 2014, a total of 225 notifications were received from countries such as the European Union, the United States, and Canada for children's products and toys exported nationwide. Among them, 63 batches of products were notified or recalled due to excessive phthalate content posing chemical risks, accounting for 28% of the total notifications for children's products. The affected products mainly include dolls, soft balls, and costume party clothing made of plastic materials. In view of the continuously updated and increasingly stringent regulations, children's product export enterprises are reminded to: first, intensify research on such regulations to achieve early warning, early improvement, and early breakthrough of barriers; second, improve the quality of children's products and align with developed countries' standards as early as possible, avoiding the use of phthalates in production through the use of substitutes or product upgrades; third, pay attention to the final inspection before shipment to minimize export risks.